The Dragon and His Princess
by Madame-DeathScythe
Summary: "The only thing worse than a boy who hates you is a boy who loves you." - Markus Zusak. A collection of one shots for NaLu week, previously called "Sleeplessness." Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating much lately. See, most of my stories are for glee or avatar, and I'm not as passionate about wither of those fandoms anymore, so I haven't had much inspiration for those stories (also I lost the document for the atla story and I have to start over entirely goodbye friends I am gone). Anyway, my main fandom right now is Fairy Tail, and I'll probably be posting more FT fics on here than anything for a while. This is the story I wrote for the NaLu week bonus prompt "Sleep." Enjoy!**

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_"So sleep tonight, but sleep dreamlessly this time; when we awake, we'll know that everything's alright." -"Arise," Flyleaf_

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Natsu rolled over in his bed for the umpteenth time that night, growling under his breath in frustration. It was three thirty in the morning, this was the first time he'd gotten the opportunity to actually get a good night sleep since future Rogue showed up, and he was still awake. Somebody out there must have cursed him.

The truth was, he had been asleep…for maybe an hour tops. He hadn't been able to fall asleep until around ten forty five, and woke up in a cold sweat around midnight, his breathing heavy. There were tears on his face and he felt like he was choking on the one word caught in his throat. Shit, he'd probably said her name in his sleep, and Happy must have heard. Stupid cat would get the wrong idea. He'd ran his shaky fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself. Lucy was alive, he reminded himself. The version of her from the future had died in front of him, but that future didn't exist anymore. Lucy was absolutely fine, and yet, every time he closed his eyes, he saw her coughing up blood, saw her collapsing on the ground, limp and lifeless. Every single damn time he saw her bright brown eyes turn dull and stare blankly up at him. It had only actually happened once, but he just kept seeing her die, reliving it over and over. It was hell.

And that was why he couldn't go back to sleep.

Natsu was tired. So tired. They'd only managed to defeat future Rogue two days ago, and he hadn't slept properly since before the dragons arrived. Ultear had spent the last couple of days restoring Magnolia with her Ark of Time magic (which was surprisingly strong enough to rebuild the most of the town when it was in shambles), and everything was mostly back to normal. Everyone was finally going to get a proper night's sleep. Everyone, it seemed, except Natsu. He couldn't possibly go back to sleep, not knowing what awaited him in his nightmares.

He was afraid that even closing his eyes for two seconds would result in something horrific. But his eyes were closing on their own accord, and he was just falling asleep when…

"_I will make sure Lucy takes her last breath."_

That's it. That is _so_ it.

Natsu threw the covers off himself with an annoyed growl and hopped out of bed before making his way to the front door. "Natsu? Where're ya goin'?" Happy was just barely awake, peeking groggily up at the rose-haired teen from underneath is heavy eyelids. "Lucy's," He responded easily. "But Natsu, it's—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what time it is. I just…I need to check up on her, that's all." Happy mumbled something that Natsu didn't catch before falling back asleep. Quietly, Natsu pushed open the door and stepped out into the night air.

It didn't take him long to get to Lucy's house. As he approached, Natsu felt himself panicking for no reason at all. _"She's fine, she's alive…what the hell am I freaking out about?" "But what if she isn't? What if she's actually dead and this is all some sort of dream? What if there's someone in her house right now…?"_

Natsu wasn't usually one to worry so much, but this time was different. He'd always been a bit more protective of Lucy than he was with the rest of the guild (he wasn't entirely sure why, she was no more vulnerable to danger than the others were, and he knew for a fact she could hold her own in a fight). Now that he'd seen what he'd seen, he couldn't stop worrying about her. He didn't know why, but the thought of Lucy being hurt put a sickening knot in his stomach.

Natsu climbed clumsily up the wall to her window, hoping he didn't wake her up. Once he'd somehow managed to reach her window, he perched on the windowsill and directed his gaze at her bed. He'd just stay there for a while, make sure she was sleeping soundly and in no danger, and then he'd leave…

That was the plan, until he realized she wasn't there.

Natsu's brain went into hyperdrive. She wasn't there. Where the hell was she? What if she'd gone out earlier and been kidnapped? What if someone associated with future Rogue had found her and tried to kill her again, or worse, future Rogue himself wasn't actually dead and he found her? Shit, what if some creep cornered her in a dark alley and…

"Natsu?"

Crap.

Slowly, Natsu turned in the direction of the voice. "Ehe…hey there, Luce…" He mumbled, embarrassed. "What are you doing?" He grinned sheepishly, stepping off the windowsill and into her room. "I, uh…I couldn't sleep. What were you doing?" Lucy tugged nervously at her pajama shirt, and he noticed briefly that it was an old t-shirt he'd left behind once. "I couldn't sleep either…" She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, still playing with the bottom of the shirt. "But I don't see how coming here would help you sle—"

Before she could finish talking, Natsu pulled her into a tight hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, trying to pull her closer, even though that wasn't really possible at this point. Lucy's arms were pinned to her sides, but she hugged him back the best she could. "Natsu, what's this all about?" Her voice was a mere whisper, and he felt her breath on his neck when she spoke. "Nothing important," He breathed, running his fingers through her soft blond hair. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" There was a smile in her voice, as if she thought he was just being silly. Natsu said nothing, but refused to let go of her. "Natsu," The cheerful bounce in her words was gone this time. "Is this about future me?" He nodded. She made a noise between a laugh and a sigh. "Natsu, that future doesn't exist anymore. I'm okay. I'll be okay. I don't want you to worry about me," She pulled away, and he felt a little disappointed, until he saw the happiness in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Natsu felt like a weight had been lifted off him when she spoke. A smile crept onto his face, and he hugged her again, chuckling at her surprised squeak. He let go of her quickly this time, grinning down at her. "Thanks, Luce. I feel a lot better hearing it from you." She smiled with her eyes in that way that he loved seeing. He was too busy admiring that look in her eyes to realize that she was standing on her tip toes and moving closer. He didn't even snap until he felt her place a kiss on his cheek.

Natsu felt his face grow hot, and he was sure she could see the blush that accompanied it. Lucy giggled. "Anyway, come on. Let's go to bed." He froze, his eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"You said you couldn't sleep, right? Well, it's late, so just sleep here. Not like you don't already anyways." His face was getting hotter by the second. "You mean…in your bed? Both of us? But you hate it when I do that!" Lucy blinked at him. "You never seemed concerned before," She deadpanned. "Besides, you said you wanted to make sure I was okay," She smiled sweetly. "This way, you'll know I'm safe, and I'll know you're safe, too."

"Uh…okay, I guess. But you don't get to yell at me if you forget in the morning!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to forget in the morning. Come on," She scooted over, making space for him. Hesitantly, he crawled into the small bed and laid down beside her. She sighed contentedly, burrowing herself under the covers. "'Night, Natsu," She yawned. He watched her closely, and she opened one eye expectantly. Should he…? Oh, what the hell. "Natsu? Are you…hey!"

He wasn't really sure why he did it, but on some wild impulse, Natsu pulled Lucy into his arms, holding her close to him. "Natsu, what are you—?"

"This way, I know you're really here. You're safe." She stared up at him for a moment, then smiled and looked away from him bashfully. "Yeah," She whispered. Lucy closed her eyes and leaned into him, a peaceful smile on her face. "'Night."

"'Night, Luce."

Natsu closed his eyes as well, smiling in spite of himself. Now that he knew she was safe, he could get some sleep.

(The fact that she was actually there with him made that more likely).

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**So, Thoughts? I'd love to hear your feedback, this is the first Fairy Tail story I've posted on here (I have other ones on tumblr that I'll get around to posting here eventually). I'd really appreciate reviews :D And like I said, expect more Fairy Tail from me these days! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! So, this was originally just going to be a one-shot, but then I decided to put all of my one-shots/drabbles for NaLu week on this same one. I changed the title, as it used to be called "Sleeplessness." This is for the NaLu week bonus prompt "Farewell." NaLu week doesn't actually start until July 1st, but once it does, I'll try to update every day :)**

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_"All I feel is everything, I can't invent the words to tell you. Never cared for anything, but if you left, I'd never let you. I'd hold your heart inside a death grip, till my fingertips turned bloody black and blue." -"Forevermore," Picture Me Broken_

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Natsu was not much of a reader. Unless it included dragons or explosions or something of the sort, he couldn't say he was interested in…well, very much of anything, and especially not books…that is, he wasn't, until he met Lucy. His best friend constantly had her nose in a book and, though he'd never been interested in reading, he always found himself wondering what was so interesting that she'd ignore him for hours in favor of a glorified stack of paper…

…Like she was _now_, for example.

"Wanna go on a job or something?" She shook her head absentmindedly and pointed down at the book. "Oh, come on, Luce. Don't you have rent to pay?" No response. "It's been a while since you've had something to yell at me about; maybe I'll destroy a town," He tried hopefully. She didn't even look up, much less scold him. "Ah, come on, you know you want to."

…..Nada.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Okay, seriously, what is so interesting about that book? It's a _book,_ for crying out loud, it can't be _that_ exciting! You want excitement, let's go on a job or something!" Lucy's eyes flicked up from the page briefly before going right back down, and that was the only trace of acknowledgement he got. "You're ignoring me again," He sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Read your book. I'll just…do whatever," He didn't move from his spot across from her; instead, Natsu took to observing the other guild members. None of them were stuck in a book, or _ignoring their friends _for that matter Not even Levy was, and she was worse than Lucy! Honestly, in his eyes, the whole thing was ridiculous. What was so interesting about that damn book? He tilted his head, trying to see the title written on the spine, but Lucy shifted and the light reflecting off the gold letters made it difficult to read. Stupid book. First it stole Lucy, now it was just fucking with him.

Wait…did he just think that a _book _was playing mind games with him? Natsu slammed his head on the table with an irritated growl. He really needed to think about something else for a while.

"Hey, Natsu!"

Lifting his head, the aggravated Dragon Slayer glanced to his left, where Lisanna had plopped down next to him. "Oh, hey Lisanna," He muttered. "Better be quiet, Lucy's _reading,_" He said the last word with more venom than he'd intended, but damn, he hated that thing! "Natsu, are you okay?" Lisanna examined him, curious. "You look kind of…" Her ocean-colored eyes found their way to the book, then to him, then back to the book, and finally to him again. With an audible gasp, she stared at him, her expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Did you really just…are you _seriously_…oh my god!" The youngest of the Strauss siblings clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the oncoming giggles. "What? What's so funny? Dammit, Lisanna, I didn't even do anything!"

Lisanna's giggles subsided slightly and she whispered so that the blond girl couldn't hear, but her wide grin said that she was nowhere near done pestering him about whatever it was she was laughing at. "Are you seriously jealous of a _book?"_

Natsu's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? No!" He pouted when his friend continued to practically cackle at his embarrassment. "I just wonder what's so interesting that she'd completely ignore me for hours, that's all!"

…Well, that came out louder than he would've liked.

Lisanna grinned evilly. "Oh, you can deny it all you want, but everyone knows you've got it bad!"

"Who's got it bad?"

Natsu froze on the spot, his cheeks turning pink, and all but bared his teeth at Lisanna. Lucy heard! Lucy heard and it was all her fault because she was just so damn nosy! Now, she knew he was annoyed by her reading habits and would probably yell at him, and not only that, but she was _one step closer _to knowing that he—

His thoughts were interrupted by Lisanna, who was standing and walking away. "Bye, Naatsu," She said in a sing-song voice before continuing to laugh at his misfortune as she made her way over to her siblings and the Raijinshuu (who were also laughing, dammit, they heard too). After glaring at his irritatingly perceptive friend, Natsu turned back to Lucy, who had finally closed the book and was looking at him expectantly. Shit. He had wanted her to quit ignoring him, but this wasn't how he'd planned at all.

"Natsu, did you hear me? Who were you talking about?" He winced. "Ah…well…Lisanna was just…just talking about how she uh…she thinks Gray might have a bit of a crush on Mira! Yeah, that's it," He chuckled awkwardly. "Better not tell Juvia! Hehe…anyway…" He cleared his throat. Now that he'd managed to dodge her first question (at Gray's expense of course, but not like he cared), this was the perfect time to ask the question that had been bothering him for days. "What's so great about that book? You haven't put it down for days." Lucy sighed dreamily. "Oh, it's one of the best books I've ever read! I'm not so sure you'd like it, though, you're not into this type of thing…"

"Well, what is it?" Lucy smiled sweetly. _"The Little Mermaid."_ The boy across from her blinked, confused. "_The Little Mermaid?_ Seriously? What are you reading that for? Watching the movie would be so much quicker." Lucy shook her head. "No, I like to read the book and see the movie, but either way, the book and the movie are two different things in this case. See, the movie changed the ending so it'd be more kid-friendly. The original fairy tales are completely different. Actually, they're all really dark." Still baffled by the whole concept, Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Dark and different, huh? How so?"

"Well, you've seen the movie, so you know how it ends. The princess defeats the sea witch, becomes human, and marries the prince. But in the book, the princess is told that she has to kill the prince in order to become human. Well, the princess is in love with the prince, so obviously she doesn't want to kill him, but she also wants to become human. But she can only have one. In the end, she decides she loves the prince too much to kill him to get what she wants, so she kills herslef instead."

Had Natsu been drinking something, he would have spit it everywhere.

"_What?"_

"I know! Isn't it romantic!" Natsu looked at his best friend as if she'd grown a second head. "No! No, it's not romantic, it's…it's horrible! Lucy, why the hell would you read that?!" Lucy straightened up, looking offended. "Because it's a good book! And what makes you think it isn't romantic?!"

"Because she _dies!_ How is death romantic?!"

"Yes, she dies because it's the only option besides killing the man she loves or living an unhappy life! She's willing to sacrifice herself and her happiness for him!"

"Yeah, well, maybe, but what about the prince?!"

They were quiet long enough to notice that the whole guild had gone silent to watch their argument. Lucy blinked, shocked at what Natsu had said. Hell, Natsu was shocked at what he'd said. Why couldn't he have just huffed and called her a weirdo like he always did? He could have, but this got him too worked up. It felt different, like he had to make his point. Thinking about how the prince would feel…well, he knew how the prince would feel. That, now that he thought about it, was what had upset him in the first place. He watched the woman he loved die. Sure, she was standing right in front of him, her pretty mouth slightly open and her warm brown eyes the size of saucers. But he still saw it happen.

"Just…think of how that would feel for the prince. She died. By her own hand. Death…that's a permanent goodbye. There's not even a chance of seeing each other again; it's farewell. Farewell is permanent, isn't it? Yeah. Goodbye forever. Her killing herself because the only other options were to kill him or be miserable for the rest of her life, that's like saying 'I don't love you enough to consider the fourth option of fighting for us. I'm not even going to think about that because I don't care.'" Lucy spluttered a bit, but didn't say anything. He glanced around at the gaping faces of his guild mates. Man, he really didn't sound like himself. When did he become so articulate? Who would've thought that Natsu Dragneel of all people would be spouting off some speech about what was and wasn't romantic in the middle of the guild with everyone watching?

Natsu sighed. Should he continue? There was more that he wanted to say„ but was it worth looking ridiculous in front of an audience? Or worse, was it worth totally giving away his feelings? Somewhere along the line, he decided the answer was yes, or he must have, because he kept talking.

"If the princess had really loved the prince, she would've thought about that. Death is permanent. Did the prince want to say good bye to her permanently? If he really loved her, no, probably not. If the prince loved that princess, he would've wanted to be with her all the time…maybe even the rest of his life, but if she dies, there's not even a possibility of that happening, is there?

"The princess didn't think about that, did she? Obviously not. If she had, she wouldn't have done it. If the princess had loved the prince enough to think about how he might feel about her killing herself _because of him,_ she'd have said 'no fuck that' and found a way around it. She would have fought for them and their happiness. But she didn't. Instead, she killed herself. She said goodbye to him permanently when she didn't have to. That's the least romantic thing I've ever heard."

Natsu stopped himself before he could get carried away. There wasn't much else he was going to say, but if he kept going, even just a little bit, it would be like shouting how he really felt about her from the rooftops. Even in the middle of that monologue he'd just spat out (seriously, what had come over him?), he'd almost thrown in how seeing her murdered was the most painful thing he'd ever felt, even worse than losing Igneel, but if he heard that she'd killed _herself_ because the only other option was killing _him_, he'd have wished she'd gone with the other option. He'd almost mentioned how the prince probably wanted to make the princess smile every day, how he'd want to make her laugh and hold her hand and all that stupid, embarrassing, sappy stuff he'd seen in the romance movies that the girls always picked out when it was their turn to choose for the guilds movie night. It was a really good thing he hadn't let himself get that far. It sounded stupid just thinking about it.

Natsu mentally slapped himself. Why, for the love of all that is good, _why_ was he turning this into an analogy for his own feelings toward the celestial mage?

"Natsu…have you ever actually been in love?"

Said boy froze at the sound of Lucy's voice, looking anywhere but at her.

"_Yes. With you, stupid, haven't you figured that out?"_

He sighed. "No."

"Then how do you know all this?"

"_Because I saw you die. Because I've been there and I know exactly how the prince in that stupid book of yours would've felt."_

"I…ah, well…guess I don't."

Lucy offered him a soft smile. "Well, either way, I guess you have a point. Death isn't really that romantic, now that you put it that way."

Natsu grinned, trying to seem more like his usual self. "See? I told you it wasn't," at that, the rest of the guild went back to whatever they'd been doing before, although they all wore the same annoying, smug expressions. Whatever, what did they know?

If he was realistic, probably everything he didn't want them to know.

Lucy laughed quietly, taking a step toward him. "Well, I'd better get home. My house is a mess thanks to a certain someone." He chuckled sheepishly at the pointed look she gave him. "Ehe…sorry?" She shook her head. "It's fine…oh, and Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

Lucy flung her arms around his neck, catching him off guard. Before he could hug her back, she pulled away, pecked him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear before starting out of the guild.

"You don't have to worry about farewells."

As she made her way to the doors, Natsu absentmindedly lifted his hand to the spot on his cheek where her lips had just been. Wait…did that mean he was busted? Probably. But…did he really care that much? Maybe later. Right then, what he really cared about was what she'd said. _"You don't have to worry about farewells."_

It was odd; that was just one sentence, like any other sentence, but it made him feel a lot better.

Natsu turned, watching her exit the guild. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, and he knew the look in his own eyes was probably a dead giveaway, but he didn't care. He chuckled under his breath and whispered rather affectionately, "Weirdo."

Well, if they didn't know before, everyone _definitely_ knew now.

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**So, what did you think? Personally, I don't like this one as much as the previous one, but I'd love to hear what you have to say! Like I said before, NaLu week is July 1st-July 7th, so I'll try to keep this updated once that rolls around. Hope you enjoyed it :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello there! Sorry this is so late, you see, I intended to start updating on monday but my computer had a virus and wouldn't let me use this website. It's fixed now, though, so here's NaLu week prompt #1: birthday.**

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_"The worst is over now, and we can breathe again. I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away." –__"Broken", Seether & Amy Lee_

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_"I…lost?"_

Lucy heard more than felt herself fall to the ground. She lost. She couldn't believe she lost. She'd been doing so well! They'd been head to head, but after Flare was caught in the act of threatening Asuka, Lucy had the upper hand. Urano Metria was the most powerful spell she knew, she was just about to win, but then…what? Then _what?_ Everything just disappeared, dissolved into nothing, but how? Not just the spell itself, but Gemini was gone and so was _all of her magic._ Lucy felt the beginnings of tears in her eyes as Flare was declared the winner. Anger boiling, the celestial wizard watched as her opponent stood from her crouching position and proceeded to act as if she'd had their match in the bag all along. Lucy should have won. She could have, easily, because Flare was no stronger than she was and she was just about to show Flare who was boss. She _promised _she'd win.

But she didn't. She _lost_. She let everyone down. And on her eighteenth birthday, no less.

Lucy wanted to scream. She wanted to kick and cry and throw something and break something else. She felt like throwing a tantrum. But mostly, she wanted to beat Flare to a pulp. It was obvious she'd cheated, and if there was one thing Lucy Heartfilia couldn't stand, it was cheaters. The blond wasn't normally one to resort to violence, but this was a different matter entirely. Flare made a complete fool out of her and her guild. That was _not _something she could let go unpunished.

But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything, not right then. She was shaking with fury, angry tears soaking her face. Lucy was just about ready to explode, and it rendered her useless. Her anger was so strong, she couldn't even bring herself to get up for fear of what she might do. She could hear the spectators laughing at her. Mocking her. Even when she'd been kicking Flare's ass for the majority of the match, one loss, because her opponent pulled more than one dirty trick, made her the laughing stock. Made _Fairy Tail _the laughing stock. And what was worse, she was stuck, shaking with rage and humiliation, in the _fucking fetal position. _

This had to be the worst birthday she'd ever had.

"Hey."

Lucy glanced up at the face of her best friend. She hadn't even heard him approaching. She studied him, feeling a twinge of surprise as she did so. Natsu wasn't angry, or upset, or even the least bit frustrated like he had been when Gray came in last in the competition. But, even more surprising, he wasn't wearing that goofy grin he usually had when he was trying to make someone feel better. he wasn't being an obnoxious dork, slapping her on the back and cackling like he knew how, saying "well, you know, it's not entirely your fault…" or some other vaguely reassuring comment, only to deny that he was trying to cheer her up. No, this time, when he came to console her, Natsu looked…sincere. Like he was actually taking something seriously that didn't involve explosions and fighting. Like he actually, really cared.

"It's okay. You were great."

Natsu was smiling gently, his words quieter than normal, and his eyes…was that affection she saw? Was this seriously Natsu Dragneel? "I-it's just so…so f-frustrating…" Lucy choked. He held out his hand, offering for her to take it. "Yeah, I know. But zero points? That just makes it more fun, don't you think?" He grinned then, but it was still different somehow. "Save the tears for when we win, 'kay?" Stifling her sobs, she took his hand in her own. "Y-yeah…I'm all fired up…"

Natsu smiled at her use of his catch phrase. "That makes two of us! Now, come on," He took hold of her other hand and hoisted her up onto her feet. "Let's get you to the infirmary; your magic's probably drained from that mega-powerful spell you did!" She complied, smiling slightly at his compliment, and let him carry her on his back with a quiet word of thanks. The last time he carried her like this, she thought, was when she and the girls had gotten very, very drunk and she asked him to carry her to the bathroom. Come to think of it, Erza, Levy, and Juvia had gotten quite the kick out of teasing her about that. Those three were probably squealing with excitement right now. God knows what they had in store for her after this.

When they reached the infirmary, Natsu didn't even wait for Porlyusica's acknowledgement, but set Lucy on a bed before going to speak to the older woman. Briefly, it occurred to Lucy that Natsu had put her down gently rather than dropping her like she'd expect him to. She watched in silence as her best friend conversed with Porlyusica. His mannerisms were the same as always he was still talking with his hands, using some improper grammar here and there, his sentences going for what seemed like forever. But there was still something _different._ She couldn't put her finger on it, and it was probably going to drive her nuts.

"Hey, Luce?"

Said girl snapped out of her reverie, realizing that Natsu was standing in front of her. "Yeah?" He cleared his throat, his eyes downcast. Now this was unusual. When did Natsu start acting like Edolas Natsu? "Porlyusica said she had to go get some bandages for your feet; she should be back in a couple minutes. But, uh…I know today's your eighteenth birthday, and that's kind of a big deal, so I just wanted to say happy birthday."

That was all? Then why was he acting like he was about to propose or something?

(Wait…did she really just think about Natsu proposing to her? Oops.)

"See, I meant to talk to Mira about planning a party for you, but I forgot, so that fell through. Sorry." Lucy giggled at the sight of his sheepish grin. "That's okay. Thanks. I was hoping today would be better, though…" She sighed. "Oh well. I'll have lots of other birthdays, right?" Natsu chuckled quietly. "Yeah…uh, Luce, I sort of…well, I got something for you."

Lucy straightened up, surprised. "Really?" She inquired. Maybe that's why he was acting so strangely? He was afraid she'd get mad about whatever it was? Of course she wouldn't. She'd never expected him to even remember her birthday, much less give her a gift. Why would she be mad that he was being thoughtful? Or maybe he thought she wouldn't like it? That was silly. It's the thought that counts, she always said.

"Yeah," Natsu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white cardboard box, which he thrust into her hand, avoiding eye contact. "Here." Lucy took the box from him, amused at the prospect of him thinking she wouldn't appreciate the gift. "Thanks, Natsu. This really means a lot." She flashed a grin at the flustered-looking Dragon Slayer before taking the lid off of the box. Her eyes brightened at what she saw inside. It was simple, just a chain with a little pendant made of metal and plastic. It seemed childish, but there was one thing about it that struck her.

The pendant was designed like a flame.

Lucy took the necklace out, admiring it as if it was diamonds. It was simple, yes, and probably very cheap, but there was something about it that seemed so much more valuable than it really was. "Do you like it?" Natsu asked, anxious for her reaction. She somehow managed to pry her eyes off the little charmed and smiled so bright it was almost blinding. "Natsu, I love it! Where did you find it?" Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Well, I was at the department store a few weeks ago, you know, since I burned half my clothes by accident, and I saw it and thought of you. Then I remembered your birthday was coming up, so I thought, why not?" Vaguely, she realized that what made the simple gift seem like such a big deal was the fact that Natsu had given her a necklace _with a flame pendant_ in the first place. Flames were his thing. But he said he thought of _her_ when he saw it. Did she really mean so much to him that he'd associate something that he considered half of his identity with her?

Suddenly, the image of Levy, Erza, and Juvia smirking deviously came to mind. No way she meant _that_ much to him. Those three were delusional.

"So…you do like it?" Natsu asked hopefully. "It's the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you," She looked up at him, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Will you put it on me?" Natsu's eyes went wide for a second, and she could tell he was taken aback by her request, but he grinned like he always did. "Alright, then," She handed him the necklace, folded her legs underneath her, and lifted her hair out of the way. He sat beside her and draped the chain around her neck, clasping it in the back. "There you go."

Lucy turned to face him once again, admiring the pendant. "Looks good on you," He commented, sounding rather pleased. "You think so?" She smiled widely, her eyes bright, and threw her arms around the boy she called her best friend. "Thank you, Natsu. I'll wear it all the time." Natsu cautiously returned the hug, his face hot. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. And happy birthday. Again." She giggled, letting go of him. "It is now."

Before either of them could say anything else, Porlyusica entered the room and barked at Natsu to leave, which he did immediately, saying goodbye and throwing a wave over his shoulder at her as he left (she didn't blame him for dashing out of the room; Porlyusica could be kind of terrifying). The healer didn't comment on Lucy's new necklace, but as she was bandaging the celestial wizard's feet, Lucy swore she saw Porlyusica glance at it and smirk knowingly. It didn't bother her, though, because despite her fluke of a loss, she felt light and cheerful again. She traced the shape of the pendant, smiling to herself. Natsu, she realized, could be incredibly sweet when it came down to it.

Maybe this wasn't going to be her worst birthday after all.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm starting out super fluffy. But there will be angst in the near future. Brace yourselves. **

**Anyway I have a few things I'd like to add here**

**1. I'm thinking of turning this into just a little drabble series for NaLu and continuing to add to it after NaLu week, but I'm not sure. If anyone's interested in seeing this story continue after this week is over, please let me know!**

**2. NaLu week ends on the seventh, and on the eighth, GrayZa week begins. Yet another pairing I'm emotionally invested in. So, there's that, and LyVia week was last month. There's also going to be a brotp week, though I don't know when, there's talk of a Raijinshuu week (I'm like in love with those three you don't understand), and I missed JerZa week, ElfEver week, and GaLe week on tumblr. I'm definitely posting for GrayZa week and LyVia week, and I'm considering doing the others just here on for anyone who's interested! But I'm not sure if I'll have time (or ideas) for the extra ones, because my summer is essentially over after this week (summer PE class), so anyone who's interested, definitely let me know! :D**

**3. I'm thinking of starting up a Kinabra week on tumblr (KinanaxCobra, just in case anyone had never heard the ship name), but I haven't gotten much of a response. I know my friend wants to do it, but if anyone on here happens to be on tumblr as well and would be interested in a Kinabra week, tell me so I can get it started up :D**

**4. I missed out on a few of the NaLu week bonus prompts, so they will be up as well: I've written "home" and a combination or "Summer" and "NSFW" (don't worry it's not smutty, just ridiculously suggestive). I'll post those once I'm through with all of the actual prompts :)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and favorited this story, I really appreciate it! I'll be back tomorrow, I promise! No viruses this time. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! The last chapter got a really good response; I'm very happy about that. This is the second day of fluff, but I can't promise that there will be a lot of fluff after this (there won't). NaLu week prompt, day 2: Fairy Tale.**

* * *

_"But our friends are back, so let's raise a cup, 'cause I found someone to carry me home." -"We Are Young," FUN_

* * *

"Stop fidgeting, you'll be fine."

Natsu attempted to straighten his tie, his hands shaking. "I can't," He ran his hand through his unruly hair, chewing his lip. "It's nerve-wracking. You've never been in this position; you wouldn't know!" The scarlet-haired woman rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "Excuse you, Natsu, but I've been a _bride._ That's much more stressful. Now, I'm the maid of honor, which means that it's my responsibility to make sure everything is perfect. And when I say 'everything,' I mean_everything._ Including you," Erza gave the younger man a pointed look, jabbing her finger into his chest. "Now stand still; you made the tie worse." She adjusted his tie properly, making him flinch. "This is going to be the best day of both of your lives. I'm determined to make sure of that. Now, get out there and get married."

Natsu nodded, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Okay. Okay. How do I look?" Erza smiled in a motherly manner, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You look great. Now, go!" She swatted her hands as if to shoo him, watching as he scurried out of the room.

Erza chuckled good-naturedly, shaking her head. That boy—or _man,_ she should say, since he was twenty-three now—was excited, no doubt. But he was nervous as hell. The Titania was sure he'd be just fine. His bride-to-be was twice as jumpy, after all.

_"But if he messes this up,"_ Erza thought, _"I'll have his head."_

* * *

Natsu stood at the end of the aisle, his hands shaking. This was it. This was the part where his life changed forever. Just a little while now…

First came Erza and Gray, the maid of honor and the best man. They were arm-in-arm, Erza carrying a small bouquet and wearing a soft blue dress, while Gray wore a simple black suit with a dark red tie. Natsu barely registered Erza smiling at her two-year-old daughter, who was waving at her, before Jellal sat the little girl down in his lap and whispered something, causing her to look down the aisle excitedly. After them came Gajeel and Levy, dressed in the same attire, and lastly, an all-too-enthusiastic Mirajane with a bored looking Laxus. Behind them, Asuka skipped down the asile, tossing flowers merrily as she went. This was it. Mere seconds left…

"Calm down."

Natsu jumped at the sound of Gray's voice. "I am perfectly calm," He hissed in reply. The ice make mage laughed. "Stop lying, you flaming moron. No one is calm on their wedding day. I certainly wasn't." Natsu glared at his friend. "Best man. Pfft. More like _worst_ man, ice ass. You're no help."

Gray didn't retort, but smirked as Natsu turned to look back at the aisle and his jaw nearly hit the ground.

Lucy was approaching the alter, a broad smile on her face. Her dress was floor-length and strapless, with a lace design going down to her waist, leaving the long skirt plain white. Around her neck was a chain with a small pendant shaped like a flame, which he'd given to her on her eighteenth birtday. She wore her blond hair down, and he briefly recalled saying that he liked her hair down because it made it easier for him to run his fingers through it. Her makeup was natural, except for the light yet noticeable pink painted across her lips. Natsu stared, a tiny smile gracing his face. He always thought Lucy was gorgeous, whether she was all dolled up or in her pajamas. But "gorgeous" couldn't even_begin_ to describe how she looked now. Now, she was absolutely breathtaking; she had everyone staring in awe. Lucy Heartfilia, soon to be Dragneel, was practically _glowing._

Before Natsu knew it, Lucy was standing in front of him, smiling brighter than he'd ever seen. He took her hands in his, still taking in the sight of her. "Wow," He breathed. "Look at you. You look…I don't even have a word for it. Wow." Lucy giggled, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Thank you. And you look very handsome. Like you might be my knight in shining armor." He grinned, placing his forehead against hers. "Well, if you're okay with your knight in shining armor being more like a dragon, then I could be, if you want."

"Hey, kid! Did I say you could kiss the bride yet? I don't think so!"

Natsu groaned, unsure whether or not he could call this a pleasant surprise. "Alright, who gave Gildarts a marriage licence?"

* * *

After the ceremony ended ("you may now kiss the—" "Oh, shut up and let me kiss my wife already, you old fart!"), the reception began. At first, it was fairly civilized, until after they cut the cake and Lucy jokingly smashed some in Natsu's face, which prompted him to yell "food fight!" after smashing a bit in her face as well, at which point everyone else started throwing cake at each other (luckily, Lucy's dress was not ruined, and it was fun until Juvia and Levy started pointing out pieces of cake in everyone's hair). Then, the speeches started, which was a complete disaster ("I never thought flame brain would actually find a girl…" "WEDDINGS ARE MAN!" "I've had way too much champagne to remember what I'm supposed to say…" "I won all the bets; everyone here owes me money. Oh, and congratulations!"). Not to mention when Lucy's celestial spirits arrived on their own to add to the chaos ("I'm a little sad that you picked Natsu over me, but congratulations you two!" "Well, look at that, you finally got a man." "I suppose you want to punish us for barging in, Princess?"), and things got _really _out of hand. The dancing was just fine, until some of them got a little _too_ drunk, which resulted in Cana plowing into Gray and the two of them knocking over a speaker, both giggling like five-year-olds.

A while later, when everyone was tired and the reception had come to a close, Lucy threw the bouquet, which all of the girls except Erza, Bisca, and Lisanna dived for. With some effort, Evergreen caught it, and spent the next five minutes o the receiving end of excessive teasing from Freed and Bixlow and a smug look from Laxus, all the while standing very far away from an equally embarrassed Elfman. In the end, Evergreen was pouting, Freed was spitting out flowers (she shoved the bouquet in his face), Bixlow was keeping his distance, Laxus was laughing, and everyone seemed to be wondering how those four were friends in the first place.

Needless to say, the day in its entirety was extremely entertaining.

* * *

"So, what did you think of our guild's..um…contribution to our wedding?"

A low laugh escaped Natsu's lips. He and Lucy were lying in bed, his arm around her and her head resting on his chest. "Well," He started, twirling a strand of her hair on his finger. "I don't know about you, but I liked it. It wouldn't have been the same without them." Lucy sighed contentedly, looking up at her husband of a few hours. "Yeah…and I'm surprised you only got involved as much as you did."

Natsu looked down at her, resting his forehead against hers. "Yeah, well, wouldn't want to ruin our fairy tale wedding, right?" Lucy laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't have minded. I'm used to your unruly behavior. I wouldn't have married you if you were any different, because you woudn't be you." He smirked at her as if to say she was being a sap, and she giggled, kissing his cheek. "Besides, we got a _Fairy Tail_ wedding instead. That's much better, don't you think?" Natsu grinned and leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. "Yup. Way better."

Their guild was wild, yes, and they made sure their wedding was equally as crazy. But that was Fairy Tail. Even a day as special as that wouldn't have been the same without their antics, they knew, and they wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

**So what did you think? I love writing the guild being crazy; their ridiculousness has to be my favorite thing in the world. Just for fun, bonus points to whoever can guess who all of the speeches were (some of them are fairly obvious, others are not). Thanks! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**So before we start this one, the person to correctly guess who the speeches are was ladyAlyafaelyn :) While a lot of people came really close, you were the only person to get all four them. However, the only person to get all three of the spirits (or even guess the spirits at all) was Astrona Pyra. I feel like there should be a prize involved, since quite a few people took a guess, so...fic rec, I guess? I'll write any pairing you want, you name it, for both of you. Nice job :D**

**For anyone who guessed, the answer was 1. Gray, 2. Elfman (obviously everyone got that one), 3. Cana (still pretty obvious), 4. Mirajane and for the spirits 1. Loke, 2. Aquarius, 3. Virgo**

**Alright, here's NaLu week prompt 3: Cuddle**

* * *

_"And I'm here to stay, nothing can separate us. And I know I'm okay, you cradle me gently, wrapped in your arms, I'm home." -"Wrapped in Your Arms," Fireflight_

* * *

A little known fact about Dragon Slayers: no matter how loud, brash, or all around rude they were, they were always gentle and affectionate with their mate.

Natsu knew this. He'd known this since before he knew how to read, because as dumb as he acted sometimes, Igneel taught him well, at least in Dragon matters. He'd noticed that Gajeel was oddly gentle with Levy, he'd seen Laxus slip an arm around Mira's waist when the blond male thought no one was looking, and he knew that Sting, Rogue, and even Cobra, annoying as they were, would eventually find a girl who would put up with them and they'd be all over her. However, Natsu did not actually know the true extent of this fact.

As far as he knew, Natsu did not have a mate; however, he did have a questionable relationship with one Lucy Heartfilia. He'd never really thought much of it, except that he did have some feelings for his partner that he chose not to act on, because there was always a chance that Lucy wasn't his mate, and he'd rather not take that chance. Until he talked to Gajeel and Laxus about it, Natsu wasn't sure he ever would find a mate, and that was fine by him.

"So what you're saying is," Natsu inquired, his face set in an uncharacteristically serious expression. "All Dragon Slayers subconsciously act differently toward their mate…before they even know that person is their mate?" Laxus nodded, his arms folded across his chest. "That's exactly what we're saying, twerp." Natsu narrowed his eyes at the other two suspiciously. "That doesn't make sense. You were never any different with Mira than you were with any of the rest of us." Laxus glared at him, and Natsu bit back a laugh at the slight blush on the older man's cheeks. "Maybe that's because no one said there was anything between me and Mirajane in the first place, brat! Anyway," He huffed, jerking his head toward Gajeel. "I'm done here. He'll explain the rest." And with that, Laxus stood up and left, mumbling something about "crazy demon woman" and "no way in hell."

"So…you're nicer to Levy than you are to everyone else…because she's your mate?" Natsu questioned. Gajeel shrugged, chewing on a piece of iron. "Well, I don't think I'm particularly nice to the shrimp, but you get the gist. Good job, Salamander. Gold star fer you." Natsu was about to retort when Gajeel continued. "But there's something Sparky over there didn't mention." Natsu perked up, suddenly curious. "Yeah? What?"

"Metallicana told me that Dragon Slayers are real…touchy-feely with their mate. Apparently, we like physical contact." Natsu nodded slowly. "Okay…so are you saying we're perverts or cuddlers?" Gajeel cringed. "Don't use that word, it makes it sound all fluffy and stuff. But…the second one, yeah." Natsu blinked, taking in this new information. So he was a cuddler…by instinct? Weird, he'd never thought of himself as one. "Okay. Is that all?" Gajeel nodded, still crunching on the same piece of iron. "Okay. Cool." Natsu didn't wait for a response, but got up and made his way to the guild doors.

Cuddling, huh? He'd never thought about that. He'd always known that Dragon Slayers were naturally protective, gentle, and affectionate with their mate, but being affectionate on that level had never crossed his mind. Natsu shrugged, disregarding the fact. Until he found his mate, if he ever did, it wasn't something he was going to have to deal with.

(That was a lie and he knew it).

That night, Natsu broke into Lucy's house through her bedroom window like he knew how and slept in her bed as per usual. Even if he said her bed was more comfortable than his, he wasn't entirely sure why he did this on a regular basis. Maybe, he thought, it was protective instinct; he knew Lucy could handle herself, but if some creep broke into her house (a bit hypocritical of him to think, he knew), he'd be there to bash their face in before they could figure out that the house belonged to a pretty young woman who happened to be asleep and therefore had her guard down.

All the same, he'd done it so often that Lucy was past the point of caring. He wasn't really sure why he crawled through her window at this point instead of just walking home with her (wait, no, he knew why; that would make people suspicious…not that sneaking through her bedroom window didn't). In the beginning, he'd fall asleep beside her, bracing himself to be yelled at in the morning, but instead woke up to Lucy smiling at him and asking, jokingly of course, "you didn't try anything while I was sleeping, did you?" (despite his best efforts, that question never failed to make him blush redder than Erza's hair). Now, they somehow ended up strangely close to each other overnight, but pretended like it didn't happen and went on with their day. She didn't seem to mind his presence in her bed anymore, either that or she'd given up on telling him off, and that was fine with him. Actually, he liked sleeping in her bed with her. It was kind of nice.

That said, Natsu should have been prepared for what he woke up to the next morning.

He woke at around five thirty am, thinking that he should go back to sleep and wait for Lucy to wake up, when he noticed. Somehow, overnight, he and Lucy had ended up in a rather compromising position. They were facing each other, and both his arms were wrapped securely around her waist. Lucy's face was buried in his shirt, his in her hair, and their legs were…well, very tangled up. Natsu glanced down at her sleeping form, careful not to move too much and wake her up (that would be extremely embarrassing, as they'd never been _that close_ before). She looked peaceful, content. Actually, he thought, she looked kind of pretty. Well, she was always pretty. But the sight of her looking so serene brought a soft smile to his face.

This had happened before, which was why he hadn't been particularly surprised, but never to this extent. Usually, he just had an arm draped around her waist or something much less…_intimate._ Perhaps Lucy was cold during the night and had unknowingly moved toward the first source of warmth she could find. Or maybe she thought he was a pillow. Still, that didn't explain how their legs had ended up like that, or why _he_ was holding _her_ and not the other way around.

_"Dragon Slayers are real…touchy-feely with their mate."_

_….._Oh. Well then.

Gajeel's words came back to Natsu, and he felt heat creeping up his face. So _that_ was what had been happening. It must have been. Dragon Slayers were cuddlers, apparently. Now that he knew that, he realized that this was why lately, he'd been waking up just a little too close to his best friend. Funny, he hadn't even snapped earlier. Why that was, he didn't know, but he did know that he didn't plan on moving any time soon.

Unlike the other Dragon Slayers, Natsu realized, he was not ashamed of being an instinctive cuddler. Gajeel and Laxus could deny it all they wanted, but now that he knew that he was, in fact, cuddling with Lucy instinctively and not just keeping her warm on the multiple occasions they'd woke up very close to each other, he would gladly admit that cuddling was nice. And he liked it. A lot.

But there was one other question.

_"…real…touchy-feely with their mate."_

Their _mate._

Natsu bit his lip. Did this mean that Lucy was his mate? Not that he hadn't thought about that possibility before, but what if she didn't want to be his mate? Dragons mated for life, and if he was correct, so did Dragon Slayers. But Lucy wasn't a Dragon Slayer, was she? So if she left him, or didn't want to be with him, where did that put him? Alone, that's where. Not having a mate at all was one thing. _Finding_ his mate and not being allowed to be with her was a different scenario entirely.

But, he thought, maybe Lucy would want him. Natsu looked at her again, watching as her chest rose and fell as she breathed, taking in her appearance. Well, she certainly _was_pretty. Smiling ever so slightly, he brushed her hair away from her face, still lost in thought. She cuddled up closer to him in her sleep, and, careful not to wake her, he pulled her closer as well. She seemed happy with him while she was sleeping at the very least, trusted him enough to let him sleep in her bed, and was surprisingly okay when they woke up just a bit too close for comfort. Maybe that counted for something?

Now that he thought about it, he was kind of affectionate with her. He hugged her a lot, held her hand sometimes, and liked being close to her. He liked everything about her, and wouldn't reject the idea of them being together. And she was surprisingly good at putting up with his obnoxious self, so maybe…

Huh.

_"Did I just find my mate?"_

* * *

**This may be the fluffiest thing I've ever written. Oops? Ah well. I've always had a headcanon about Dragon Slayers being cuddly for some reason, because I talked about this sort of topic with my friend and that was what we came up with. And I'd seen the "Dragon Slayers mate for life" theory multiple times and I liked it so I sort of decided that it was my headcanon. Heh. Okay, well, this is the last of the fluff, unfortunately (not really I like angst). Thanks for reading! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this is where the fluff ends and the angst begins (not permanently, but for a while). I like writing angst, so there will probably be quite a bit of it (the rest of the things I've written for NaLu week are angst for the most part). I'm sorry? **

**Anyway, NaLu week day 4: Protect.**

* * *

_"Forget this life, come with me; don't look back, you're safe now. Unlock your heart, drop your guard; no one's left to stop you." -"Anywhere," Evanescence_

* * *

Blood. That was all he'd really seen.

Everything was hazy, blurred. Vaguely, he registered the ominous thump of a body hitting the ground, a cough, a scream, a deranged, distant laugh. There was no way he'd seen what he thought he'd seen. Not a chance. He wouldn't let that happen. Natsu would never let any harm come to Lucy. That was his final decision.

And yet, here he was, watching her die as he stood by helplessly.

In retrospect, Lucy wasn't really dead. She was standing right there, tears leaking from her eyes, talking to the future version of herself. Natsu glanced to his right, away from the morbid scene in front of him. Lucy wasn't technically dead…yet. But if they couldn't do anything to change the future, she would die here in seven years. It didn't make much sense, but that meant that if he couldn't change it, Lucy had seven years left to live. She'd die at age twenty-four. Natsu clenched his fists. That meant she didn't have much to look forward to.

Natsu bit down hard on the inside of his lip; almost hard enough to draw blood. The thought of her dying so young scared him. And if it scared him, it would surely scare Lucy. He hated seeing her scared, and he usually couldn't do much about it. In the end, he just wanted his best friend to be happy.

"Your guild mark…it's gone…"

Natsu's breath hitched. Her guild mark was gone? Did that mean she would leave the guild? Leave _him_? Or…was the guild gone? No, that couldn't be, Neither was acceptable.

_"Hey Natsu! Look!"_

_"That's nice, Luigi…"_

_"It's Lucy!"_

The memory of Lucy's first day at the guild was like a slap to the face. She'd been so happy that day; so proud of that guild mark. Natsu felt his lip trembling, but he continued to hold back his tears. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't have to, because this wasn't really happening…

As if him thinking that it wasn't real set Lucy's fate in stone, future Lucy's eyes went dull then. There was no breath from her lips, only blood trickling down her pale cheek from the inside of her mouth. She was gone.

The flood gates finally broke.

He wasn't sure what exactly he'd said to the others, only for them to leave. He growled something malicious, possibly murderous, to future Rogue, but he wasn't paying attention to his words. Natsu's mind could only process one thing: he _had_ to protect Lucy.

There was no way he'd let anyone kill Lucy. Not now, not ever. He'd decided a long time ago, when Phantom Lord kidnapped her. As long as he was around, he would never let anyone so much as touch Lucy. No one would hurt her, make her cry, or take her from the guild. Because he wouldn't let them.

He loved her far too much to let anyone so much as lay a finger on her.

Natsu felt himself fighting future Rogue, unaware of his movements, as if some outer force was controlling his body without his mind's consent. But he was aware of his words now, and he heard himself, loud and clear, shouting his final condition; a last-minute decision that he would protect Lucy from one more thing.

_"No one will steal Lucy's future!"_

* * *

"Natsu! Stay quiet!"

"Don't move yet!"

Natsu ignored the two women, dragging himself toward the lifeless figure a few feet away.

"Lucy is…Lucy…"

After what felt like an eternity, Natsu reached his best friend's limp form and collapsed over her. Tears ran rampant down his face, violent sobs racking his body. "Shit…" He choked. There was pain in his chest, as if he could physically feel is heart breaking at the sight of her. Or maybe the stabbing pain was just another injury that he'd somehow failed to notice before; he couldn't tell. It hurt to cry, but holding back didn't seem to be an option. Everything hurt. His head throbbed, his throat burned, his whole body screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't. Lucy was lying dead in front of him. She'd been in the back of his mind, gnawing at his thoughts, for the past…how long had it been? He didn't know. He didn't _care._ It didn't matter. How long he'd been fighting, how long he would fight, none of that changed anything.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't defeat future Rogue.

Natsu grabbed at future Lucy's cloak, balling up the soft material in his fists. The tears came down harder. Was there another way to change all of this? Probably not. Maybe someone else could defeat future Rogue. That was all he could hope for. Future Rogue said he was as good as dead…that meant he could never do it. Whoever would do it, if anyone, it wouldn't be him. That certainly beat no one defeating him, but Natsu's anger was getting the better of him. He hated future Rogue more than he'd ever hated anyone. Natsu wanted to tear him apart, to cause him excruciating pain, worse than the pain he himself was going through. He wanted to torture that man. He wanted to _kill_ him.

…He'd never wanted to kill anybody before.

Killing was wrong. Igneel always told him that, and he knew it was true. But that man stole _everything_ from him. Not just from him. From everyone. He stole his family, his home, everyone's life. He stole Lucy's future. _Their_future. Every time Natsu thought of his future, Lucy was in it. He always thought that maybe, if he worked up the guts to tell her how he really felt, just maybe they could be…well…something. Together. Not that he wasn't happy being her best friend. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so they say, and his heart, it seemed, wanted _her._

But that didn't matter now, did it? They were both _all_ were.

_"I'm sorry Lucy. I'm so sorry. I know I promised I'd protect you but there's nothing I can do…"_

"Who was that guy?"

Snapping back to reality, Natsu stood, slowly regaining his composure. "Was he an enemy?" Natsu swallowed hard, not daring to look anywhere but at the ground. "He did this to Lucy. He's _my_ enemy."

Ultear and Meredy were silent for a moment, taking in his words, and Natsu felt his determination rising, his anger burning. Future Rogue was not just _the_ enemy. He was _Natsu's_ enemy. This was no longer about saving everyone; now, Natsu was being selfish for once. Future Rogue took Lucy from him, right in front of his face. He had a _personal_ score to settle with that psychopath, and he'd be damned if he failed to do so.

He'd defeat future Rogue no matter what it took. He would bring down the man who took the most important person in the world to him.

He _would_ change the future; for the guild and for Lucy. He couldn't afford to lose against future Rogue. If he did, he would lose her. If he did, he'd lose everything. And from now on, he decided, he would protect Lucy with his life. As long as he was alive, no one would ever hurt her again.

Natsu clenched his fists, his nails stabbing painfully into his palms. His decision was final. No one would mess with his friends or the girl he loved and get away with it. If he had to, he'd put future Rogue six feet under, even if that did put him in the wrong.

He was determined to change their future or die trying.

* * *

_"It's over. Finally."_

Natsu sighed, relaxing as he felt Lucy leaning closer to him, crying into the back of his shirt. "It's okay, Luce," He whispered, offering a gentle smile as he glanced back at her. "It's all over now. Everything's okay. There's nothing to be sad about."

Lucy sniffled, her grip on him tightening. "I know," She breathed. "I'm not sure what I'm crying for, but…thank you, Natsu. You saved everyone."

On a wild impulse, Natsu shifted and pulled Lucy into a tight hug as well. "I couldn't have done it without you," He whispered into her hair. He felt her laugh, as if she didn't believe him. That made him a bit sad.

She didn't believe him. She didn't know the half of it.

After all, the only reason he stood a chance against future Rogue was because he was too afraid of losing her to let future Rogue beat him.

They stayed locked in their embrace for a while, until Natsu finally pulled away. He took both of her hands in his own, looking her dead in they eye. "Lucy," He inquired, his voice hushed. "You trust me, right?" She smiled up at him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Of course I do, Natsu. You're my best friend. I told you, remember? I've believed in you since I joined the guild."

He returned the smile, a rare, soft expression etched across his face. "Good," In a daring move, he placed his lips gently on her forehead, causing her to blush slightly. He moved her hair away from her face, his fingers brushing across her skin briefly. After nearly losing her, Natsu felt a strange need to be near her, to constantly see and feel her, as if to reassure himself that she was really there and not really lying dead somewhere while he only imagined, out of desperation to see her again, that she was still with him. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise. I'll protect you."

Lucy let out a breathy laugh before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest again. "I know you will. Thank you."

This time around, Natsu didn't hesitate in returning the hug. He buried face in the crook of her neck, one hand resting on the small of her back, pulling her towards him, the other tangled in her hair. He was happy, beyond what any word he knew could express, that she was there with him. She was in his arms; she was safe. And he planned to make sure she stayed that way.

* * *

**I just _had_ to mention Ultear in this one didn't I *muffled sounds of me sobbing hysterically in the distance***

**So that was a kind of fluffy ending I guess, but seeing as my friend messaged me saying "and a big f*ck you to Tori for day 4 of NaLu week" after she read it when I posted it on tumblr, I'm guessing it's angsty for the most part. Ha. During the Grand Magic Games arc, I thought it was a little weird that Natsu kind of seemed more distraught over Lucy's future than the future of the guild, but I think that was Mashima's (kind of soul crushing) way of starting to develop Natsu's deeper feelings for Lucy (I'm pretty sure they've been there for a while but he's trying to develop them further. You know, Natsu's not exactly Mr. Subtlety). Anyway, because of that, I developed a theory early on that Natsu would end up defeating future!Rouge almost single-handedly because he was both too afraid to lose Lucy to let any of that happened and so angry at future!Rogue that he was like twenty times stronger. In the end, Natsu kind of did defeat future!Rogue on his own (but you know without Lucy's journal he wouldn't have gotten anywhere so_ technically_ Lucy saved the world but you know maybe I'm biased because I like to point out my favorite character's accomplishments so people will stop stomping all over her and calling her "useless" okaaaaaaay), so I'm keeping that headcanon until it's proven wrong (I feel like it's not going to be addressed so it's okay). Thanks for reading, hope you liked it :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this one is my personal favorite. My friends got mad at me for writing it when I posted it on tumblr. Ehehe. So, NaLu week day 5: Firsts**

* * *

_""Cause that day, you walked out of my life; 'cause that day, your words felt like a knife." -"Like a Knife," Secondhand Serenade_

* * *

She'd been on his case about it for days.

Natsu huffed, doing his best ignore the sly grin the blond was giving him. How could she possibly think that? Okay, so Lisanna was a good friend of his. So? That didn't mean anything except that they were just that; friends. It was like saying that Freed and Evergreen were probably going to get married or something because they'd been friends since they were kids. It was _ridiculous._ Lucy seemed to be the only one in the entire guild who thought that Natsu and Lisanna were lovebirds.

He didn't dare glance back at Lisanna to see if she was as annoyed as he was. If he did, the Celestial Wizard sitting across from him would get the wrong idea, no doubt. He did love Lisanna, yes, but not like _that._ She was like a sister to him, and after not seeing her for two years, things were different. They'd both grown and changed and while they were still friends, Natsu simply wasn't as close to the takeover mage as he used to be. He wouldn't say that Lucy _replaced_ Lisanna, because although he was originally drawn to Lucy because she reminded him of the friend he lost, the two girls were very different people and he couldn't compare them to each other because it would be like comparing an apple to a…giraffe, or something really weird like that. No, nobody replaced anybody, but Lucy did now fill the role of the hot-headed Dragon Slayer's best friend that Lisanna had once occupied.

Yes, Lucy was his best friend…among other things.

"Why don't you just _tell_ her?"

Natsu scowled, remaining unresponsive. He did not, in fact, have feelings for Lisanna, but he couldn't exactly _tell_ Lucy that and have her believe him, because she'd probably ask for an explanation, at which point, there would be more conflict for the already conflicted Natsu. If he dodged the question and said something like "I just don't," or "she's like my sister," Lucy would be even more convinced that she was right. If he told her the truth, that being "actually, I have feelings for someone else," she'd try to find out who. And that couldn't possibly be good for their current relationship.

Damn nosy woman.

"Are you going to answer me?" Lucy tapped her fingers impatiently on the tabletop. "Well?" Natsu shot her an irritated look. "No," He grunted. Lucy raised an eyebrow. "No what? No you're not going to tell her, or no you're not going to answer my question?"

"Second one."

Lucy mirrored the scowl that had been plastered to Natsu's face seconds earlier. "What is _up_ with you? Do all Dragon Slayers get this mad when someone calls them out on their feelings for someone?" Natsu looked her dead in the eye, his expression far too serious for someone as typically wild as him. "No, we don't," She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "But I'm pretty sure most people don't like being accused of having feelings for someone when they don't."

_"Especially not by the person they actually do have feelings for,"_He thought bitterly. And he thought _he_ was supposed to be the dense one! Had she_really_ not noticed his advances? Or was he just not being obvious enough? That couldn't be the case; Lisanna, Mirajane, Erza, Gray, and, come to think of it, pretty much the entire guild _except_ Lucy had him figured out. Now, why couldn't the object of his affections figure out that she was, indeed, the object of his affections? Did he have to say it straight up? Was he going to have to go up to her and say "Lucy Heartfilia, you oblivious weirdo, I'm in love with you, so take it or leave it"? Because there was absolutely no way he could do that. Despite his boisterous personality, Natsu was shy when it came to girls and relationships and love and everything else associated those things. Igneel never taught him how to deal with that. Great, wonderful; thanks a bunch, Igneel, real helpful. As much as he _wanted_ to, there was no way in hell he could say anything to her. Or to anyone. Everyone else had simply figured it out on their own.

Why Lucy hadn't was a permanent mystery.

"Don't you lie to me, mister," Lucy eyed him carefully, her voice low. "I'm not stupid, you know. I can see it from a mile away. You love her." Natsu rolled his eyes. _"Actually, you are pretty stupid, because if you weren't you would have figured out by now that it's not her I have my eye on, stupid,"_ He thought irritably. He realized it was a good thing he didn't usually think out loud as he replied. "Fine. I give up. Believe what you want, that don't mean its's true." Lucy smirked, leaning across the table to jab him in the chest. "So you _do_ love her. Ha! I knew it."

"I never said that."

"Oh really? That blush is telling me otherwise."

Suddenly, Natsu realized that he was indeed blushing, which only made him blush harder. Why the hell did she think he was blushing over Lisanna? Didn't she realize that they were in very close proximity and he could see right down the front of her frustratingly low-cut top, which she was practically _falling out of_, for crying out loud, when she leaned over the table like that?

….Fuck. Why'd he have to think about that? Now he couldn't stop staring.

"I'm blushing because you're putting me on the spot," Natsu lied, spitting out the first thing that came to his mind. He stood up then, embarrassed and irritated. "Bye, Luce," He muttered as he sped out of the guild before she could say anything else.

He sighed, thumping his head on the outside wall of the guild.

_"Why do feelings even exist?"_

* * *

"You like her."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

Natsu spun around to face her, and Lucy stopped in her tracks. "No," He growled through clenched teeth. "I do not have feelings for Lisanna." It had been a day since Natsu had fled from the guild, annoyed and flustered, and Lucy was still hellbent on pretending he had feelings for Lisanna. They had stayed at the guild late; it was dark as they made their way back to Lucy's house (Natsu didn't feel like going back to his own house only to end up at hers later on that night). Despite the darkness, Natsu could read Lucy's expression, and it irked him. He wanted her to be shocked that he'd snapped at her, because maybe then she'd stop harassing him about feelings that didn't exist. Instead, she looked infuriatingly smug, as if she was accepting a bet she knew she'd win. "Wow, Natsu, you're protesting quite a bit. Denial, maybe?" She quirked an eyebrow, smirking that same annoying smirk she'd been using on him all week. "No! You're just pissing me off!" He spat, his temper threatening to boil over. She narrowed her eyes at him, her temper beginning to flare as well. "Well, _Natsu_, maybe if you'd stop being such a child and admit that you have a little crush on Lisanna,I'd leave you alone!" Natsu scoffed. "Oh! Oh, _I'm_ a child? I'm not the child here, you are! You won't listen to me! You won't just fucking leave it alone! And you're calling _me_ a child, while _you're_ the one being little miss 'I know everything'?!" Natsu glared at her, his anger reaching a peak. "You want me to admit something? Fine, I will. I'll admit that you're wrong, I do _not_have feelings for Lisanna, and there's a very valid reason for that!"

Natsu paused, realizing that he'd taken a few steps forward and was now towering over her, his jaw set and his eyes blazing. Lucy took a step back, her expression cautious. "Okay…" She began slowly. "What…would that reason be?"

Natsu groaned, still frustrated and not thinking rationally enough to calm himself down.

"Really? You have to _ask_ me why I don't have feelings_for another girl?_You have _got_ to be _fucking kidding_ me! You say you're not stupid, Luce, but you sure are acting it. I've been obvious enough; everybody else has caught on! Why do you think I turn into a blushing idiot around you sometimes? Why do you think I do everything I can to make you feel better when you're sad or angry or scared and come to your defense when other people look down on you? Why do you think I'm so protective of you? Why the _hell_ do you think I sneak into your house and_sleep in your damn bed with you?!_Do you think I'm too _stupid_ to understand the implication or something?! I'm supposed to be the dumb one between the two of us, so _why don't you get it?"_

Lucy stared at him, her eyes alight with shock and confusion. "Natsu, what are you—"

She was cut off by Natsu pressing his lips forcefully against hers.

Natsu pulled away after a few seconds, his hands still on either side of her face. Their noses were almost touching, and he could feel her breath mingling with his. He looked at her from behind heavily lidded eyes, awaiting a reaction. She said nothing, but stared up at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape. "Well?" Natsu breathed, slightly impatient but calmer now, watching as she lifted her fingers slowly to her lips. "Do you get it now?" Lucy spluttered, not looking him in the eye. "Natsu, I…I don't…I…"

_"Oh…"_

"Sorry."

Lucy gasped when Natsu all but pushed her away from him. "I get it. You don't feel that way about me. That's fine. I shouldn't have done that without your permission." He began walking in the opposite direction, toward his own house. "Natsu, I—"

"Don't, Lucy."

She stopped, lowering the hand she'd been reaching out to him. "W-what?" He sighed, his voice low and serious. "Just…just don't. Don't try to explain; I get it. You had it figured out all along, didn't you? You knew and you kept bugging me about Lisanna because there's someone else and you wanted me out of the picture. You aren't stupid. Just a really good actress," Natsu bit his lip. "I'm sorry I said anything."

"Natsu—!"

"I'll see you at the guild."

And with that, he hurried away.

When he stormed into his house, Happy was nowhere to be found. The little blue Exceed was probably out with Carla and Lily, he thought. Good. No one was there to see Natsu slam the door shut, snarling, or nearly punch a hole in the wall, angry tears welling in his eyes. He should never have said anything. He'd been rejected and humiliated and probably fucked up his relationship with his best friend so badly that nothing would ever be the same between them. As far as he knew, it was hard to be "just friends" with someone you'd fallen stupidly in love with who didn't feel the same about you. But he _wanted_ to keep Lucy in his life, no matter what. That was going to be a problem. He growled furiously, clawing at clumps of his hair as if preparing to tear it all out. Why was he so stupid? Lucy was brilliant and clever; he should've known she'd figured him out and had something up her sleeve.

And more importantly, why hadn't he thought about that before he so impulsively _wasted_ his first kiss on someone who didn't want to kiss him back?

Natsu flung himself onto his bed, not bothering to change into pajamas (his only good pair were still at Lucy's anyway; he'd been staying there so often he'd unintentionally moved some of his things over there. Now he'd have to go and get them. Joy). He was angry, tired, ashamed, and most of all, hurt. The last thing he remembered thinking before fatigue took him prisoner was that Lucy was probably after someone else, and that guy, whoever he was, had better treat Lucy Heartfilia like a fucking queen, because if he took one wrong step he'd be on Natsu's hit list in a matter of seconds.

He wouldn't know until some years later that he was that guy, and that Lucy, angry with herself for her misinterpretation and for not kissing him back or telling him that she felt the same, had cried herself to sleep that night, cursing herself for ruining their first kiss.

* * *

**I'm really not sorry at all. Welp.**

**Thanks for reading :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**So this one is a continuation of yesterday's "Firsts." The prompt: Nervous.**

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_"Just tonight, I will stay, and we'll throw it all away; when the light hits your eyes, it's telling me I'm right. And if I, I am through, then it's all because of you, just tonight." -"Just Tonight," The Pretty Reckless_

* * *

Lucy sighed, hesitating in front of the guild doors. She had to tell them. It was typically considered pleasant news, so why was she so anxious? She didn't want to do it, sure, but there wasn't another choice, and she managed to work out a deal, so it wasn't really _all_ bad. At least she wouldn't have to leave…but that didn't make her want to do it any more. When she ran away from home all those years ago, she always knew that it would somehow come back to bite her, but the incident with Phantom Lord had pushed her to walk away from her old life permanently, and she'd thought that would be the end of it. Plus, she'd nearly reconciled with her father before he died, so she didn't expect any more fuss about it.

Or, at least, she never would've expected the old hag to pop up in her life again.

Now, she didn't have much of a choice. Even when Lucy was a child, she remembered Regina as a stubborn, bull-headed, materialistic woman who never took no for an answer. That seemed to run in the family, unfortunately for Lucy, who had acquired a personality more like her mother's.

Lucy took a deep breath, her jaw set. She had to do it, and that meant she was going to have to tell her friends. There wasn't a way out of it, not that she could think of, so what was done was done.

That didn't reassure her much, though, and in the end, she was only worried about one reaction in particular.

She pushed open the doors of the guild and was greeted by hushed, suspicious voices rather than the usual chaos. "Lucy," Erza called, perking up at the sight of her friend. "You're here. We were starting to worry; you never come later than nine." Lucy glanced down at her watch. It was almost noon. "Oh…" She muttered. Had it really been that late when she'd left the house? With everything that had happened the evening before, she'd really lost track of time, not to mention a lot of sleep over the matter…

"Hey, Luce, you okay? You look a little pale, are you sick?"

Lucy jumped, slapping the hand away from her face on instinct. "Oh, sorry Natsu," She spluttered. "I'm a little distracted; you startled me." Natsu shrugged. "It's fine. You don't feel feverish, but you don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?" Lucy clasped her right hand on her left arm, her eyes downcast. "Yeah, I feel fine, just didn't get mu8ch sleep. I, uh, I have something to tell you guys."

A murmur or interest swept across the guild before everyone gave Lucy their full attention. she cleared her throat, finding it difficult to make eye contact with the boy next to her. "Well, as you all know, I ran away from home before I joined the guild. See, I knew that would backfire, but I thought the whole stint with Phantom was the end of it. Turns out, it's not."

A chorus of confused questions followed. Natsu was still standing right next to her, a trace of concern in his eyes. "Lucy, is everything okay?" Lucy fidgeted, her eyes darting from place to place around the room, landing anywhere but on him; she didn't dare meet his gaze. "Well…apparently, my grandmother is working on restoring the mansion and starting up the company again. I got a letter from her last night. She's furious with me. She demanded that I go back home immediately. Without a guild mark."

There was a sudden uproar, the entire guild shouting their protest.

"Can't we convince her to let you stay?"

"We'll even fight her if we have to, Lu-chan!"

"Just don't listen; screw that old bat! Who the hell does she think she is?"

"She's nuts if she thinks we won't put up a fight!"

Lucy threw her hands up in front of her as if to defend herself, waving them frantically. "No, no, no. you didn't let me finish. I'm not _going_anywhere. But my grandmother is a snooty, traditional, controlling old woman. Not really a good combo. She wouldn't let me say no, so I made a deal with her," Lucy's friends were all staring at her expectantly, and she swallowed. "Seven years ago, my father arranged a marriage for me. As it turns out, I was the only girl available to marry, and, since I left, he's still not married. My grandmother agreed that if I go through with the marriage and continue to support the company through that, I can stay in the guild."

Everyone was silent, seemingly shocked by the news. "Yup. So…I'm getting married, apparently. And I want you all to be there."

* * *

Natsu blinked, once, twice, three times. For the first time in…well, actually, for the first time ever, he was the only one in the guild _not _involved in the chaos. He watched quietly as Erza crushed Lucy against her armor, tearfully accepting her offer to be the maid of honor. They were all so…excited. Even Happy was flying around Lucy's head, probably asking some silly question that Natsu couldn't quite hear. He was happy that Lucy wouldn't have to leave the guild, of course; he was ecstatic, really. But…he couldn't quite bring himself to celebrate.

How was he supposed to be happy knowing that she was being forced to get married to someone else?

Natsu continued observing his friends, unsure exactly what he was missing. All of the girls were crowded around Lucy, asking her how she would want everything. That was nice, he supposed. Lucy have never met the man she was going to marry, so obviously it wouldn't be the perfect wedding she wanted, but it was nice of the girls to try to make everything else as close as possible to make up for it.

Natsu wondered if Lucy really be happy with her betrothed husband. He was torn between hoping that she was, just in case there really was no way out of the arranged marriage in the end, and hoping that whoever this guy was turned out to be awful and sent Lucy running back to him…not that she'd ever been _with_ him. They'd come pretty far; he'd finally pulled himself together and told her how he felt, but that was about as far as it went. It hadn't been a particularly successful endeavor on his part; he'd ended up jumping to conclusions, not really letting her respond, and deciding that maybe it was better to at least wait a few weeks, months, maybe, like, years until he tried anything again. But maybe, he thought, partially hating himself for wishing such a thing, the betrothal would be a complete and utter disaster and Lucy would realize that there were much better guys out there who she could turn to the second she got out of her marriage. Guys with, say, pink hair and very sharp canines, and maybe even a troublesome tendency to blow things up. Yeah, that sounded right to him.

He had to be better than some entitled, rich pretty boy right?

"Natsu, are you pouting?"

"Huh?" Natsu broke from his thoughts, looking up at the blue Exceed hovering over his head. "What? No! I'm not pouting!" He protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm just not celebrating either." Happy smiled, his eyes shining with something akin to mischief. That couldn't be good. "It's okay, Natsu. I know," He winked at his partner, causing Natsu to glare. "Happy, don't you da—"

"You llllllllllllike her!"

Natsu shushed the blue cat furiously, snatching him out of the air and clamping a hand over his mouth. "Shut up! Everyone thinks I'm over it; let's keep it that way." Happy giggled, his voice muffled by Natsu's hand. "So you do like her?" He teased. "Well, I wouldn't say that," Natsu scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It's much more complicated."

"Is that why you're sad about her getting married? Because you _looooooooove_ her?"

"Shush!"

* * *

"You look beautiful, dear."

Lucy sighed, offering a soft smile to the curt old woman. "Thank you, grandma," She whispered, fiddling with the chain draped around her neck. "The necklace is gorgeous. How much did it cost? Must have been a fortune." Regina Heartfilia smiled stiffly at her granddaughter; it was such a forced smile that it could barely even be called that. "Oh, I don't know, darling, you'll have to ask Aiden. He bought it, not me. You're lucky dear; your fiance has wonderful taste." Lucy looked down at the diamond necklace, suddenly finding it very plain. "Yeah," She mumbled, her expression falling. "I guess he does."

"Well, sweetheart, we've got minutes to spare. I'll see you when you're walking down the aisle!"

Lucy grunted her acknowledgement to her grandmother, turning to the mirror and examining herself closely. Her dress was simple yet beautiful, not a hair on her head was out of place, her makeup flawless, and her jewelry noticeable but not flashy. Everybody would be staring at her, no doubt.

Because it was the ugliest she'd ever seen herself.

Hot, angry tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to rip the dress to shreds. She wanted to throw all of the expensive jewelry on the floor, to toss her heels and veil out the window, to smear the makeup, to pull her hair back down and mess it up for good measure. She didn't want any of this. There were two options for her: be forced into leaving her beloved guild or be forced into marriage. The second one was an improvement, because she'd still have her friends and her identity as a Fairy Tail wizard and maybe, _maybe_ she'd still have at least some of the life she'd always dreamed of. But none of that meant she would be happy with someone she didn't want anything to do with.

There was only one person Lucy Heartfilia wanted to be with. And Ethan or Aaron or whatever wasn't him.

He wasn't Natsu. He wasn't the boy who brought her to the guild, who gave her a home and a family, who became her best friend. He wasn't the _man_ she'd fallen in love with. And for the rest of her life, that was all she would think about when she was with her stupid, rich husband. But it didn't matter, she thought, because she'd messed up so badly with Natsu anyway. It was a year ago now that he kissed her on the way back to her house to prove that he wasn't in love with Lisanna, only to mistakenly think that she rejected him and never talk about it again. He seemed over it, but she was far from it. She fucked up. She fucked up whatever chance they had together and that was it.

The tears began sliding down Lucy's cheeks. She was beginning to have second thoughts, but she couldn't back out…

"Hey."

Lucy gasped, twirling around a bit clumsily at the sound of the voice. "Natsu. It's you," She placed a hand over her heart as if to slow it's beating. "You know, if you get caught in here, my grandmother will probably kick you out…" Natsu dismissed her warning with a flick of his hand. "Yeah, okay, that's fine. I just wanted to come and wish you luck. You look amazing, by the wa—are you crying?" Lucy lifted her hand to her eye, attempting to wipe the remainder of her tears without concerning him. "No, I…" Her breath hitched; she felt another wave of tears coming on. "I can't do this."

Lucy plopped into the nearest chair in an unladylike way that her grandmother would have wrinkled her nose at. "I can't do it, Natsu. I want to stay in the guild, I want to be with everyone…but I'll still be miserable if I do this. I can't." She sobbed into her hands, her shoulders shaking. "I don't love him. I've only met him once and I can't even remember his name. And he's probably going to cheat on me anyway; my friends who lived on the estate were all cheated on after they were betrothed. Either that or they were the ones cheating." Natsu placed a hand on her shoulder cautiously, unsure how to comfort her. He could usually find a way to at least console her a little, but in a situation like this, he felt completely useless.

"Luce…" He mumbled, kneeling down in front of her and moving her hands away from her face. "I know. I know you don't want to do it, we _all_know that. If it's really that bad, then don't do it. We'll all understand." Lucy shook her head, looking up at him with a mixture of sadness and conviction in her face. "No. I have to. I don't want to, but I don't have another choice. You, Erza, gray, everyone…you're my family," She smiled tearfully, her voice trembling. "The guild is the only real home I have."

Natsu reached out to brush her bangs out of her eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek. He stared at her for a moment, and before he was fully aware of what he was doing, he captured her lips with his own.

He'd tried this before. He tried this a year ago and she didn't respond at all. What, exactly, did he aim to accomplish this time?

But this time, she did respond. Lucy, who was about to be _married_, was kissing him back passionately.

…Was it bad that he had absolutely no qualms about kissing her mere minutes before she was going to get married?

They pulled apart eventually, their breathing labored. "What," Natsu breathed, looking at her the same way he had when he'd first kissed her a year before. "Was that? I thought you weren't interested." Lucy smirked slightly. "Then what did you kiss me for?" She whispered, her breath hot on his lips. "Because I wanted to."

"Look, Natsu, you never gave me a chance to respond the first time. The truth is, I—"

"Lucy! Everyone's waiting on you, dear, do hurry up!"

Natsu and Lucy scrambled off of each other, putting a good amount of distance between them. "I'll be right out!" Lucy called. She cleared her throat, glancing furtively at Natsu and wringing her hands. "As I was saying, Natsu, I've been wanting to say—"

"You don't have to say it."

"Huh?" Lucy looked up at him, genuinely confused. "Everything you were trying to say came through just now, and I…well, me too." Natsu offered her a soft smile and took her hands in his once again. "But I'd rather not say it. Because…you know. Wouldn't that just make this whole thing worse? Nothing can really happen between us now that you're…"

He trailed off, his eyes downcast, and a bittersweet smile crossed Lucy's face. "We don't know for sure. Maybe I can find a way out of this and we can…you know…" Natsu returned the smile, letting go of her hands slowly. "Yeah…you'd better get out there. Everyone's waiting." There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, which Lucy didn't miss, but she decided not to think too much of it. If she were to dwell on it, she'd only end up hurting herself. "Yeah. I'll see you out there?"

He nodded, silently wishing her luck, as she left the room in silence.

Natsu exited the room some time later to avoid suspicion and took his seat next to Gray, trying his best not to look like he was up to something as he straightened his tie. "You were gone for a while. Was she okay?" Gray whispered. Natsu waved a hand dismissively. "She's fine. Just nervous."

That was a lie, and as the bride dragged herself miserably down the aisle, casting not-so-discreet glances at a certain Dragon Slayer all through the ceremony, everyone present knew.

* * *

**So I guess that was pretty open ended. I've been asked to do a continuation, so I might, but I'm not sure how to go about doing so, so it could be a while. Oh well.**

**On a side note, if you've never listened to The Pretty Reckless (the lyrics at the beginning are theirs), I highly recommend doing so. Taylor Momsen's voice is flawless, I tell you. And come to think of it, a good amount of their songs just scream NaLu.**

**Hope you enjoyed it :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so the prompt for day seven was "Flames and Keys," but I struggled for hours over it, so instead, this is one of the bonus prompts I missed out on: Home. Tomorrow I'll be posting a bonus prompt (combination of "Summer" and "NSFW," don't worry it's not smutty, like I said, just suggestive), and after that I'll post a oneshot that I wrote a while back independent from NaLu week. After that, I may not be able to update for a while. Sorry!**

* * *

"_Dear my closest friend, I'm writing because I miss you so much. At night I always cry; the stillness still reminds me of when we first fell in love, and I miss that so much. Dear my closest friend." -"Dear My Closest Friend," Flyleaf_

* * *

Dear Lucy,

When you left yesterday, we were down to Bisca, Al, Meredy, Jellal, and the group that was on Tenroujima, minus Gramps and Gildarts. Right after you left, we evacuated the kids. I can't believe we didn't do this sooner, but I guess things weren't severe enough for us to let them go until now. The older kids, like Asuka and even Iris, seemed to understand, but the younger ones had a hard time. Nashi wouldn't stop crying. I'd say you can't imagine how hard it was to say goodbye to our baby girl, but I know you do. You already did. She said her first word. "Mama." I know it's stupid, but I was in tears myself. She misses you. Just as much as I do. Please be okay. I know you can change this. I believe in you. When you succeed, because I know you will, you and Nashi can come home. I hope that happens soon. It's unbelievably lonely without you. Then, we can really be a family, you know, like Bisca and Al were with Asuka before all of this. I think we'll both be happier then.

Love,

Natsu

Dear Lucy,

The casualties were pretty bad today. Yesterday, just after we evacuated the kids, we lost Cana, Gray, Lisanna, and Al. Al took a shot for Bisca. She acted really different after that. She wouldn't talk or look at anyone, eat, or sleep. Today, we lost her, too, along with Mira, Elfman, and Erza. I guess Mira and Elfman are probably happy, because they're with Lisanna, and Erza wasn't doing so well after losing Al and Gray, but losing Bisca, I think that was it for her. When Erza died, she was crying over Bisca. She was caught off guard. They were best friends; I can't imagine how that must have been. For Erza to see Bisca die right in front of her, I mean. She seemed so helpless. Not like the Erza I know at all. At least they're together now. Maybe wherever they are is better than here, but I still can't seem to grasp the fact that they're gone. Jellal and Meredy are still clinging to each other, like they have been since losing Ultear, but Erza's passing made Jellal worse. He acts like he's fine, for Meredy, but he's a bad liar. I'm not sure how much longer he'll last without breaking down. I'm not sure how long anyone will last. But I can't stop thinking about the kids. I never thought any of the guild would leave their children behind. It's not by choice, but that's exactly what we're doing. All I can do is hope that you'll be able to change this. Please, Lucy; everyone's depending on you. I know they all believe in you just as much as I do. Please come home soon.

Love,

Natsu

Dear Lucy,

Today we lost Evergreen and Juvia. It doesn't sound like it'd be that bad, because that's not many casualties, but it's worse than anyone could have imagined. Meredy is worse now, and Jellal, the self-sacrificial idiot, keeps trying to seem like he's okay. Since Ultear died, he's stepped in and taken care of Meredy, but their entire foundation is falling apart. Freed has been in tears all day, Bixlow won't even look up from the ground, and Laxus breaks everything he touches. I think Laxus said that Evergreen's stepfather abused her mom and she was afraid he'd hurt her too, so when they were around eight or nine, Freed and Bixlow found out and promised that they'd protect her from anything they could. But in the end, they couldn't protect her from everything. I think both of them have survivor's guilt. And on top of that, Freed and Laxus have already lost their wives and had to say goodbye to their kids. Now they've lost a sister, or the closest thing they ever had to one. And three more of the guilds' kids have been orphaned.

I don't know how much longer I can live with this. Lucy, please be safe. For me. For the life we could've had.

Love,

Natsu

Dear Lucy,

The remainder of the Raijinshuu went today. They all went out together, and they went out with a bang. Literally. The three of them were caught in an explosion of some sort, so I hear. I wasn't there. Jellal took a shot for Meredy. He died on the spot. Meredy was screaming for him to wake up. I didn't hear all of it, but she said something like "bad sense of humor," "not funny," "joke's over." She didn't want to believe he was gone. Over the last couple of years, I think he was almost like a father to her. She's lost everyone. I don't think Meredy's going to be around much longer. I'm not sure what to do about it.

I'm sure you'll fix this, Luce. I know this'll be over soon. Please prove me right.

Love,

Natsu

Lucy,

Meredy. Last night in her sleep. Not surprised, she was depressed. Only one other casualty today. I was slashed across the chest. I should've died right away, but I didn't. Wendy says I shouldn't be writing this. She thinks I should rest. But it's pointless. I'm fading fast. Could have anywhere from an hour to twenty seconds left. But I had to write this, because it may be my last chance to say I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I wish you were here right now, so I could see you one last time. I'm sorry we never got to have the wedding you wanted, or raise Nashi, or build a life together. I'm sorry I couldn't' give you any of that. I think you should know, I wanted that too.

Please, Lucy, save our future. For the guild. For Nashi and the other kids. For us. For the home we could've had.

I'm getting close. I love you, Lucy. Don't ever forget that.

N

* * *

**...I feel kind of mean for this one. **

**Anyway, this idea popped into my head, I'm not sure when, but I just thought "what if not quite everyone was dead when future!Lucy came back to the past but she knew everyone was going to die because future!Rouge told her so in the past?" So, this ended up happening. And at the end, that wasn't a typo. It was supposed to be that Natsu died just as he was about to sign the letter that Lucy would never get. Oops I feel like that was mean. Oh well.**

**So, that concludes NaLu week. I have a few other NaLu oneshots that I'll probably get around to posting, but the updates won't be as regular because I'm taking a summer PE class (I don't get to graduate if I don't have the credit), and it's four hours a day of torture and takes a lot out of me, plus, after that ends (it's three weeks), school basically starts up like a week later and they say junior year is the toughest, so I may not update as often as I'd like to, but I'll do my best.**

**Thanks for reading :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**So, this one wasn't for NaLu week, but I wrote it a while back and thought I'd post it. It was originally just something I wrote out of boredom after listening to the song "Circle" by Flyleaf. The italic is a flashback, just a side note. **

* * *

_"Circle encircles the earth, chance and choice break his heart; his innocent arm moves to save me and I, I am spared. His beautiful arm is bloody and cut off, his heart ripped out to show me he loved me. But I wouldn't believe him, he did all that he could, I still would not believe him." -"Circle," Flyleaf_

* * *

_"Lucy, please."_

_She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "It's not funny, Natsu!" Lucy shrieked. "You think this is such a hysterical prank, don't you?! Well, it's not! It's not a game, it's serious! You can't just say that to someone; you can't manipulate their feelings like that!" Searing, furious tears streamed down her cheeks, and she said in a cold voice, "Don't ever say those words to me again."_

_Natsu's expression was a mask of every negative emotion known to man. "Lucy!" He growled. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around, gripping her arms tightly as he pulled her closer, so that their faces were inches from each other. He stared down at her, a rare serious look in his eyes. "Lucy," He started, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is no joke. Why would I joke about something like that? I know you think I'm stupid, and I'll admit, I usually am, but this isn't a prank. And I'm going to keep saying it until you understand that." He never broke eye contact with her as he spoke his next sentence._

_"I love you."_

_Lucy continued to stare up at him, her brown eyes blank. her lack of reaction didn't seem to unsettle Natsu in the least; quite the opposite, a glimmer of hope crossed his face and she figured it meant he thought she finally believed him, after weeks and weeks of trying to make her understand that he wasn't lying to her._

_She didn't._

_Her temper on fire, she shoved him off of her. "Lucy!" At first, Natsu looked taken aback, but as she glared viciously at him, his eyes fell back into hurt and disappointment. "You still don't believe me," He whispered. She said nothing and, turning sharply on her heel, retreated from the room, his desperate shouts following her out the door. _

_"Dammit, Lucy! What do I have to do to get through to you?! I'm not asking you to return my feelings, all I'm asking is for you to trust me! I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND, LUCY! I MEANT EVERY WORD I SAID!"_

_She slammed the door shut behind her, the loud bang muting the sound of Natsu cursing and punching a hole in the wall in frustration._

* * *

As Lucy replayed the conversation from a few weeks back in her mind, everything around her seemed to move in slow motion. There were only a few things she'd processed so far: she was responsible for the horrible future she'd heard about, Rogue had come to kill her, a scream, a pink and black blur throwing itself in front of her. Blood. Lots of it. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, as if it was fighting to escape her body. This was wrong. This was so, so wrong.

_"This isn't happening. This can't be happening," _She watched, frozen in panic, as Natsu crumpled to the ground, drops of blood spurting from his mouth. Deep crimson liquid leaked from his torso.

Natsu was dying.

_"Natsu!"_

She didn't feel herself scream, nor did she remember doing so, but her own voice rang in her ears. Her future self was charging at Rogue, tears spilling from her eyes and shrieking in agony. But the noise didn't reach Lucy's ears. All that matter in that moment was Natsu.

Lucy dropped to her knees beside him, droplets of tears beginning to fall. "Natsu…" She brushed his hair out of the way to reveal his clouded black eyes. "Hey," He rasped, placing a hand gently on her cheek. "It's okay. You're okay, don't cry…"

"But you're not!" She sobbed, laying her own hand on top of his and squeezing it, as if holding onto him for dear life. "Natsu, what were you thinking?! If we don't get help soon, you're going to—" He shushed her, his eyes half closed. "It's too late, for me, Luce," She protested vehemently through her violent sobs, but he continued. "But as long as you're okay, I'll be okay. Wherever I'm going. At least I'll know I could protect you…"

"Natsu?"

"Hmmm?" He was fading fast. She leaned down and kissed him lightly, and he kissed back with what little effort he could muster. "I love you. I love you, and I'm sorry I'm so stupid," She choked on her words, sobbing into his shirt now. She thought she probably looked pathetic, confessing her feelings to this dying man, this man who she hadn't believed until he was covered in his own blood. He stroked her hair weakly. "Finally figured it out, huh?" He smiled, not his usual goody grin but a soft, content smile that was unusual for him, though she didn't see it. "Good. I'm glad. I meant it you know. I really do love you. Always will."

Lucy smiled to herself. "I—-Natsu? _Natsu!"_

It was too late.

* * *

**Am I killing Natsu too often? Yeah? I'll stop...well, that_ is_ what the song's about, so you know. I wouldn't have been surprised if Natsu did jump in front of Lucy though. I really wouldn't.**

**Thanks for reading :D**


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